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Barcelona are facing a tough decision when it comes to the make up of their attack for the 2020-21 season.
It’s no secret the Catalan giants want to bring in Lautaro Martinez from Inter, but the club will only sign the striker if Luis Suarez leaves, according to Miguel Rico at Mundo Deportivo.
The reasons why are pretty simple. Suarez is not the type of player who will be happy on the bench, while Barca have seen recent expensive signings fail to live up to expectations and will need Martinez to come in and make a big impact.
Suarez does have an offer to move to Major League Soccer but Barca will only go for Martinez if the Uruguayan decides his time is up at the Camp Nou. Otherwise the Catalan giants will wait until next summer to sign the Argentina international.
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Suarez In No Rush to Leave
It looks unlikely currently that Suarez will leave Barcelona this summer. According to Sport, the striker is “in no rush to leave Camp Nou” but has attracted interest from “several Major League Soccer clubs.”
The 33-year-old’s contract at Barcelona is due to expire at the end of next season, but it will automatically renew if his plays more than 60 percent of the club’s games in 2020-21, according to the report.
Suarez is likely to be a regular in the team if he continues. He missed a chunk of the current campaign after undergoing knee surgery in January but still ended the campaign with 16 goals from 28 appearances in La Liga.
Lautaro Willing to Wait?
Martinez could also be willing to wait to seal his move to the Camp Nou. The 22-year-old has told the club he remains committed to joining the team but is aware of their financial difficulties and is ready to be patient, according to Fernando Polo at Mundo Deportivo.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has told Mundo Deportivo’s Sergi Sole and Fernando Polo that talks with Inter for the Argentina international have been put on hold and it will be difficult for the club to make major signings this summer.
“Now we are making decisions, if there are no player exchanges, it’s very difficult for them [Neymar and Lautaro] to come. Yes, we have spoken with Inter but now the issue is stopped. Now we are concentrating on the pitch, as we prepare for the Champions League.”
The coronavirus pandemic means clubs across Europe may struggle to afford their top targets this summer. Barcelona may have to offload several players to be able to finance a move for Lautaro and could even decide to put the transfer on hold for now.
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